GENEVA
Tens of thousands of South Sudanese who fled targeted ethnic violence in Bentiu last week are receiving just one liter of safe drinking water per day in the overcrowded UN base, UNICEF said Tuesday.
“Those who survived horrendous violence now face the very real risk of fatal water-borne disease outbreak”, said UNICEF’s Representative in South Sudan, Jonathan Veitch.
Last week’s fighting doubled the population seeking shelter at UN Base in Bentiu. More than 10,000 people arrived last week, taking the population of the UN Mission’s Protection of Civilians site to approximately 23,000.
The continued unrest and the beginning of the rainy season has put an unbearable strain on the emergency response, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF said in a statement on Tuesday.
Last week, hundreds of people were killed because of their ethnicity after South Sudanese rebels seized the oil hub of Bentiu.
“Children have endured unspeakable violence – they must not continue to suffer in places that should provide safety.”
More than one million people have been displaced by the conflict in South Sudan.
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